The Lost Flame
by lay4ever
Summary: Shane left Mitchie because of a special reason he can't explain. Years later, destiny entwined their paths yet again, but in a whole different situation. Can a summer tour lead them back into each others' arms? CAMP ROCK STORY!Shane/Mitchie Summary change
1. Chapter 1

**I know have some unfinished stories, but what can I do? I just can't this idea off my head. Well, anyways, this is a bit of an AU-ish story and we'll get to some more details later (as soon as I figured out what they are). This chapter is, I guess, kinda like a preface to let you guys know what's going on so this is incredibly short. Oh, and sorry for some grammatical errors. Those are my weakest points.  
**

**Disclaimer: NO I do not own camp rock!**

**And Remember to voice out your opinions!**

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Chapter 1/Preface

Mitchie's POV

He kept me close, really close, for what seemed like an eternity. He buried me in his warm, toned chest, holding me as if he wouldn't be able to again. His arms had wrapped around my waist and I had leaned myself closer to him. We stood there, on the canoe, with the silence becoming more intense every single second.

_Tick…Tick…Tick…_It was painful to hear, to watch the second hand on my watch make its way around. I wanted to stop it, to make the intensity, which grew between us, gone forever. I wanted him to hold me like that, with my back leaning against his muscular chest. I wanted the moment to last 'till the world knew no end, but forever was just a beat away.

I knew it wasn't possible. Because on that very day, I knew I would lose him. He reminded me countless times that it would never end, that we'd always be together _forever._ I wanted to believe him. Oh God, I wanted to believe him _so bad_.

But I couldn't. I just couldn't. Something was telling me that it wouldn't be forever, that forever was nothing but an allusion, pure myth. A belief that was slowly destroying the inside of me, containing nothing but love. _Love for him._

As the sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon, streaking the sky with red, our time was coming to an end. He snuggled me closer while the cool, harsh wind made our canoe clearly unstable for a second. But he didn't move, not one bit. Instead, he placed a kiss on top of my head, and whispered the very words that crushed me, "_It's time._"

Shane's POV

I had only dreamed of that moment as a nightmare. A nightmare that I knew would happen sooner or later. And now, it was finally here. My arms were locked around her, unable to move. Noise surrounded us as our fellow campers said their last goodbyes for the summer. But nothing was visible to me except _her, _the girl that captured this stupid heart of mine. And the girl who helped this selfish idiot find his true music, my true self.

We waited for the cars to arrive and take us away from the place that we had been calling home. We paid no attention to others, but to ourselves only. My eyes bore into her warm, chocolate eyes, the brown eyes from which tears had been falling endlessly.

"This is not the end." I kept telling her that the last hour or so, but her eyes betrayed the emotions she held in.

And there was nothing I could do.

I knew her pain. And even if we believed that it was not the end, for our sake, we knew it wouldn't be the same. I wouldn't be able to look into her lovely eyes every morning or see that angelic, charming smile every time I took her out on the lake in a canoe.

I knew after that day that our world would be different.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you guys enjoy reading it as well. Anyways off with the details I was talking about last chapter. Shane and Mitchie here are in their mid-twenties. I can't pinpoint exactly what age because the movie did not tell us. The other details, well, I still have to think about so just hang on there.

Disclaimer: No I don't own camp rock

Review Please!

Thanks to my Beta Reader, JBlove, for all the editing.

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Chapter 2

Shane's POV

_This is real._

_This is me._

_I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, now._

_Gonna let the light shine on me._

I heard it non-stop in my head, unable to kick those lyrics out of me, the same lyrics that broke my manly pride whenever I heard them. I swore to myself I would never let them get to me again, but I couldn't. How could I resist those words that brought me to the real world? How could I forget about the person who changed me? Who loved me?

It was that very day that my soul parted away from her. When I held her close and wished to never let go, when I promised that I would never leave her. And the day I broke that promise.

"Shane? Shane…" Michael, my co-worker, waved his hand in front of me, wishing to capture my attention. Unfortunately for him, I was in no mood to play around, so I acted cool and went back to work in my small little cubicle.

"Aw…Don't be like that, man!" he whined.

But still I paid no attention. Instead, I focused myself on my five page report and struggled to take my mind off the song which had been bugging me the whole day.

After awhile longer of trying, Michael finally gave up and walked away just before I heard him muttering to himself, "What's wrong with him?"

_What's wrong with me?! _A LOT, I tell you! My head is crazy, my life is whacked-out, and my heart feels dead. It's my fault, though; little me destroyed it. I have no one to blame but me. But after all the guiltiness, my own knowledge of it outweighed my emotions. And I knew I had to do it.

Of course, after trying to finish the five page report, which was a _'get it done or be killed'_ assignment, I was going crazy. And for that, I don't blame myself. I mean, who is there to blame? None other than my boss, Mr. Howard. Or what the others and I liked to call him: Mr. Killjoy. Emphasis on _kill!_

For the rest of the day, I sat at my little desk, constantly being sidetracked by none other than _her _voice. Her angelic voice, running in my head like a jukebox in a silver diner restaurant. A voice that makes you just go with the flow and let all your misery go, eat your burgers or whatever you ordered with a sweet sensation in your mouth. By now, I knew I couldn't stop thinking about it so I just let it go. I brought back everything that had happened six years ago, including the time I broke her heart and killed my soul.

"So, what's been going on in your head lately?" Michael finally cracked as darkness had already fallen on the city of Seattle and it was time to leave for the night. It was that time of the day where I could relax all my tense nerves and get out of Mr. Howard's tight grip. Unfortunately, my luck had just been driven away by one pesky co-worker.

"Got a chick on your mind?" He smiled suspiciously as we walked over to the parking lot.

In reply to that question, I could have said, "Yup, a chick who meant more to me than life."But I went with a more common one, "Just little things, really."

"Little things? Dude! You were like in midair for the whole day! I don't know if it's the report or the serious pressure Howard puts on you, but you were starting to creep out everyone around you. You were humming to yourself what sounded like a…a _chick song, _and then you were off in your little world all of a sudden."

"Look." I stopped in my tracks and faced him with seriousness in my eyes, hoping he would catch on to what I would say next. "There have just been things, alright? And I don't care if everyone stares." I walked off again and mumbled to myself, "I get that a lot anyway." But he heard every single word.

"Of _course_ everyone would stare at you! You're Shane Gray, for crying out loud! There are tons of girls willing to date you, marry you at any given time. There's got to be one girl you're interested in. Come on now, tell me!" Michael slung his arm around me and gave me one of those manly hugs as if trying to get information from me, but he wasn't the luckiest man on earth.

After what seemed like years, I finally spotted my old used Jeep and picked up my pace to lose the one guy I'd been trying to get away from. He walked a little faster as well, hoping to catch up to me, but by the time he reached me, I slammed the driver's side door of my Jeep in his face. I could have sworn he started tearing up for a moment as if I might have broken his nose. _Oh well, I thought it needed a little adjustment anyways. _

I drove out of the parking lot as fast as I could, making it look like a scene from one of those Indiana Jones movies, with the bad guy on my tail. Or my annoying office mate.

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I drove home on Interstate 5; hoping time would go much faster for me. Soon, the scenery started to look more like the countryside and knew I was only minutes away from seeing the most important woman to me right now. After five more miles of driving, I spotted the one sign that cheered my heart. _Marysville- 1 mile ahead._

I was finally home.

"Grandma, I'm home!" I yelled after shutting the door.

It was dark in the house, which made me a little worried. Often times, Grandma would leave the lights on for me, but tonight there weren't any. I scurried off to the living room, expecting to see her reading or something 'cause that's what she was usually doing whenever I got home.

But what I found was something I would not have expected. The lights were off and there wasn't any sign of an old lady in her seventies reading one of the classic books by Jane Austen. Worried now, I searched the whole house in case she changed her mind and was reading in another place. After awhile, my chest started to ache and I realized I had been holding my breath. She was nowhere to be found.

Then finally I heard, "In here, Shane." It was Grandma's voice, coming from a bedroom which was usually only used for guests. I ran into the room and found my grandma lying on the soft mattress with a photo album in her hands. She smiled faintly and I knew instantly she was trying to hide something from me.

"I thought I heard you running down the stairs," she said as she motioned for me to sit next to her.

I hurried to stand next to her, still wondering why her routine had changed tonight. But I wasn't going to ask her as she seemed to be in a peaceful mood.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I was looking for you."

"Ah." She sighed, holding the photo album tight in her hands. "I just felt like resting here for a moment. You know, I am an old woman already and sometimes I need a little change in the environment."

I smiled knowingly and reached out for the hand that was unoccupied by the photo album. I rubbed it gently, feeling her wrinkled skin under my thumb.

"Grandma, remember I told you I'd take you to the park or something, but you won't let me. You want to stay here."

"I know, Shane. But when you get old like me, you'll understand." She spoke softly, almost whispering. I could feel the weariness in her body as her breaths were a little unsteady, but she kept the smile on her face despite her weakness. I was about to object, but when I saw that she had opened up the photo album in her hands, it caught me off guard.

I had never seen that photo album, but I knew from the faded color of the pages that it was from back before I was born. One of the pages included a picture of a woman I could barely recognize. She looked oddly familiar and her face somewhat resembled my grandma's.

"Do you know who this is?" she asked, pointing out the young girl. I shook my head and took a closer look. "That was your mom when she was your age."

"Really?" I stared at the picture in disbelief. Now I could see it. She was just like me, with her brown eyes and black hair. She was _beautiful _and she reminded me of a woman just like her.

"Yes. She was quiet the charmer when she was young. Actually, she had many suitors, including your dad." She laughed at the memory. I remembered my mom telling me about her and my dad's early love, but at that time I was too full of myself to even listen to her. I felt sick even thinking about it.

"I guess Dad was a lucky man, huh?"

"Well, I couldn't really say that. You see, your mom was lucky too. Your dad was amazing to her and they loved each other very much. Actually, your mother was somewhat like a brat, but when your father came, everything changed. She was a different person. It's like this man had changed my daughter and I couldn't let go of that, so I definitely voted for him."

I smiled at the visions that flooded my head about my teenage parents and their love story. It kind of reminded me of my own except it didn't turn out to be a happy ending like theirs did.

I felt her hands tighten in my grip and she looked at me with an intense look in her eyes. "I know you love her, Shane, and don't let it go. It barely comes, you know."

"What do you mean?" I asked confusedly.

"_Love."_ And with that, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

Only the next day, I found out what she had meant when she flew away with the birds and into a place with no misery.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next chapter and don't you guys worry. Everything will be explained later on in the story. This chapter is a real tear jerker so if you don't want drama, then don't read. But I assure you, it will all be happy later on. Just hang tight. There are some mistakes here, I know. I'm too lazy to reread it so just try to understand it if there is. **

**Disclaimer: Question. Do I have to do this every chapter?**

**Please Review!**

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SPOV

I need her.

Oh God, I want her by my side right now, comforting me.

Telling me it's going to be alright and everything will be fine. Just one sound, one word will make it seem that this is all a nightmare. I want to hear her heart beating next to mine with her creamy shampooed hair rubbing against me when I hold her close, the way it use to.

My grandma was right. It was hard and then, I just realized my biggest mistake. I should have never let it go. Let _her _go. Love is hard to find and it will only come by once. _Never let go of it._ I ran it through my head over and over as I sat there on the sofa all alone.

The house was quiet_; too quiet._ The searing pain coming from the quietness is the worst I have ever heard in my lifetime. I clenched my ear to stop all of it. It was too much and I couldn't handle it. The quietness was looming all around staring at me blankly. They were laughing at me. They were mocking my every move, telling me what a huge mess I am. Every bit of it, I knew was right. What's worst is that I brought it to myself; on my own. It's my fault both of the two women I love are gone. The two women who cared for me and loved me and the silence had every right to mock me.

I could feel the hot tearing sensation on my ears as I realized it was close to bleeding. I slowly let go of it and made a run outside, hoping every piece of pain will be wash away.

I ran as fast as I could out in the meadows. Nothing seems more important now than going as far as I can possibly reach. Maybe there, I can finally relax with nothing to worry. _Somewhere. _My heart burned for more air as I resisted stopping. Stopping would only make the pain come back and I didn't want that, but I had no choice. My body can only go so far.

I fell to my knees with my hands clenching the dry tall grasses. Hot simmering tears ran down my pale cheeks as I let it all out, letting go of my manliness pride. I couldn't have cared if someone saw me like this. What is there to be strong of? I lost my two inspirations. Nothing can be done.

"_Shane"_

"What? Whose there?" I quickly stood up on my feet and looked all around, feeling completely nuts. I was all by myself. Yet, just for one moment I thought I heard her. Disappointed, I fell back to my knees again, inhaling fresh air.

"_Don't blame yourself"_

This time, I definitely knew it was her. But her voice, it seems so different. It was…full of love.

"_It was her time"_

I heard her again, but this time I didn't move. I just accepter her into me and it was helping me. It brought back her image like I was standing in front of her. She was smiling, the smile that just melts my heart. Instantaneously, she held out her hand for me and I accepted it. Now, I was leveled with her and she slowly played with my black slick hair. God, she was _beautiful. _

Then, she wiped away my tears with her thumb. I grabbed onto her hand and at that time, I never wanted to let her go. I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted to scream out and say sorry for everything that has happened, but it was too late. Before I knew she was gone just before whispering to me,

"_I love you, Shane."_

-

By the time I got home, it was dark already. I slid past the living room and came back to reality. Mitchie. I saw her and I talked to her. I ran every detail that I saw of her in my head for the last hours or so. I didn't care the fact that I maybe hallucinating, but at least I saw her and God answered my prayer.

As I sat down on the couch, I spotted the phone and decided to give my mom a quick call and tell her how I'm doing. She has been calling me for at least a dozen since the funeral and insisted that she comes here, but I told her I'm fine. I knew by her tone that she didn't really want to come here. She can't stand funerals, especially her own mothers'. Then, I noticed I had five voice messages. I assumed it all came from my mom again, but wrong. It's the one guy I've been leaning on as well and treated him like my own brother.

"_Hello? Shane? It's Jason. Your mom called me and told me the whole thing about your grandma. I'm really sorry, man. But she's in a better place now, trust me. Well, call me when get back home. Okay? Bye."_

Then another voice message coming from none other than,

"_Shane, are you home yet? I called about half an hour ago and still, you have not called me back. Are you okay?"_

Then another,

"_Shane…Shane….I called two hours ago. I'm starting to get worried, man. Call back!"_

And,

"_Call back!"_

Finally,

"_Okay, Shane! I've waited for about five hours now. I already got my ticket and I'm flying over there. I hope I'm not too late. Don't do anything stupid, okay? I'll be there in about two to three hours. Los Angeles is not that far, you know!"_

I decided to call him back, but I knew it was too late and he was on his way to Washington.

-

I had no time to react or to even breathe. He grabbed by his two humongous arms and squeezed me 'till my eyeballs can pop out. I'm really thankful to have a friend like Jason, but sometimes it can be painfully annoying.

"Its okay, Shane. Just cry all you want. We have the whole night." He said solemnly. I could almost laugh if it weren't for the situation right now and the fact that in any minute, I can pass out of shortness of breathe. He finally let go of me and gave me a reassuring smile.

"Thanks for coming out, but I don't really need your help." I tried to fake a smile, but sadly it didn't work.

"Everyone needs help, Shane." He gave me a pat on the shoulder, readying himself for another hug, but just in time, I backed away before he can even come any closer than an inch.

"That's enough hugs for tonight." I assured him.

It was almost midnight when Jason arrived at my door, carrying nothing but one suitcase. I told him why I hadn't been answering his calls. Well, okay, not the whole truth. I left everything about the meadow. I just told him I went out for a walk; a really long walk. Gladly, he seemed to believe me. It was one of those moments, I was thankful to have such a naïve friend. Despite all the things that have happened to us before, he still treated me like a little brother. Hopefully, I still have that kind of relationship with Nate, but only time will tell.

-

"So when are you going back?" Jason asked.

The question sent shiver down my spine. It's been two days since he arrived at my doorsteps. It's also been two days since I saw her, wiping away my tears, but I didn't what the circumstances were. I just wanted to see her and that is all I was given. I could have wished for more, but I didn't want to push my limits. Things were better this way. She moved on and I should, too.

"Hello? Earth to Shane…" Jason snapped his fingers at me, catching my attention. We were settling down in the porch with the blazing sun ready to say goodbye.

"What?" I finally answered back.

"I said 'when are you going back?'"

"Go back where?" I asked even though I knew what he meant.

"To California! I mean, you're going to be all alone here in Marysville. Don't you want to at least refresh your mind and take a little break?"

I did, of course, miss the city where I learned my first step, my first guitar, and my first love. Yet, I was too stubborn and came up with a straight answer.

"No."

"You don't mean that." Jason said. "I know you do. You love Los Angeles as much as anyone else. Look at yourself, Shane." He stood up from his seat and grabbed my arms. "You're a mess! Your eyes are the size of a tomato and don't deny it."

I slipped away from his grip upon hearing those words. Those painful, true words. I looked blankly away from his cold stare and into the horizon where the sun was barely visible now.

"I don't know why you're doing this, but if it's about the girl…"

At that instant, rage of fierce swallowed me whole and the next thing I knew I was holding Jason by the wall with his collar in my bare hands, looking intensely in his eyes. Something I have never done in my life. His look was not surprising, though. His eyes showed no anger, but compassion.

"Don't ever…" I hesitated at my words as it was tearing the inside of me slowly. "…mention her."

With that, I let go of his collar and gave what I knew a '_sorry'_ look. I turned away from him and devoured myself at the beautiful sunset. At least five minutes has pass by and not a word had come out of Jason's lips. He kept silence just like I did, but I could feel his worries trembling inside of him. He truly cared and by that, I was thankful. At the moment, though, this is one situation I did not want his help because no one can ever heal my broken soul. _Not even me. _

"If that's what you want, then I'll let it be. I'm leaving first thing tomorrow. If you ever change your mind, then just let me know."

He gave a small pat on my shoulder, and then went inside, leaving me all alone in the porch. My eyes kept still on the beautiful sunset. The bright red-orange finally disappeared, waiting for the next morning to rise up again and start anew.

Flashback

"_What's in your mind?" I asked her gently. _

"_Look at the view. It's beautiful isn't?" She answered with her ever-charming smile. _

_She let her eyes wander off to the bright orange sky. _

"_Yeah. Very." Only she didn't notice I wasn't talking about the sunset, but the girl who was sitting next to me. _

"_You know, the sun is only gone for the night, but it's there. It's just waiting and waiting to start anew again the next morning." She turned herself to me, showing more of her beautiful face. "It's always there and it will always come back. Darkness doesn't always stay forever. Soon, everything will be bright and a new beginning awaits."_

_I sat there, looking at her chocolate, brown eyes, asking God how I ever deserved this kind of girl. She was perfect in every ways. _

"_Yeah? Well, I know one way to make the sun come much faster._

"_And how is that, Mr. Shane Grey?" She asked teasingly. _

_I closed the space between us and without hesitating; I softly placed my lips on hers. _

"_Just. Like. That." _

-

The night passed by really fast and not a word came out of Jason. I felt the guiltiness simmering in me as I realized I shouldn't have acted the way I did. He didn't deserve any of it.

"So do you want me to drop you to the airport?" I finally broke the silence that's been killing me for hours.

He was cleaning the dishes, although I insisted he shouldn't, swiftly to get away from our awkward silence. Finally, wiping his hands on the towel, he responded.

"No. I'll take the taxi."

I would have answered him back, but I knew it will make the situation much worse so he walked away to his room, leaving me behind.

"Look, I just…" I called after him just before his room.

"Save it, Shane. It's alright." With that, he closed the bedroom door and silence, once again, filled the whole room.

I sat down on the old sofa which brought back memories of Grandma. It reminded me how she used to read those romantic books every night and she would insist that I read it with her, but I turned her down and told her a man doesn't read those kinds of books. She just laughed and told me it will once help me find my way back at true love. Now, I knew I should have read every page with her.

Next to the sofa was our infamous coffee table that was about the age of my great grand parents. It also holds the photo album Grandma was holding that night. I grabbed hold of the old photo album and washed myself away on the old pictures. The pictures included my old ancestors and of course, my mom. I looked back at the photo Grandma was showing me that night and reminded me the beauty my mom had when she was young. I took the fragile photo out of the plastic cover to have a better look. Her beauty still astounds me even now.

As I looked at it carefully, I noticed there was a blank ink scribed at the back of the photo. I took a good look and turned it around. There I saw a feminine handwriting with blank ink smudges, but the words were still visible.

_Don't ever let the flame die down. Keep it alive, keep it well. _

The words haunted my thoughts as I try to give myself a clear explanation of the message.

And finally I understood.

"Well, it took you long." Jason said by his bedroom door. "Now go upstairs and pack your stuff. We have a big day tomorrow."

I didn't argue back or even responded.

I just smiled.

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**Well, at least it ended happy. Please Review!**

-lay


	4. Chapter 4

**Please please please Review! It just makes my day! Anyways this is the next chapter and it's a bit happier than the last one. Okay a lot happier. So on you go with the reading!**

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SPOV

The sunny mornng of California welcomed us as we arrived at the airport. I'm still in disbelief that I'm actually here. Back to the place I once became a monster.

"So I'm guessing you'll be staying in my house?" Jason asked as a black Escalade car pulled up in front of us. "I mean, if you want to. Besides, your parent's house is like far away from here."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks." I tried to put up my best smile.

Jason's house from the airport wasn't that far. It took us a good half an hour to get there including traffic. So to speak, Jason happens to live in one of the richest neighborhood in Los Angeles. Despite the money he earned from Connect 3, his family is well stable. His father is a rich businessman who only dreams that his son follows his footsteps. Jason, though, has other dreams besides being a rock star or a businessman like his father.

"…so anyways I was thinking of entering college again." Jason continued on to his life story which I paid no attention to whatsoever.

"What'd you say?"

"I said 'College. Enter. Me.'. Are you listening?"

"Huh? Oh…Oh yeah."

"Ok, fine, enough about that. Listen, there's this new hot girl…"

"Jason…"

"No, no, listen. She's a new artist that's slowly rising up to fame. I think you'll like her."

"I'm not interested." I said boringly.

"She's really good. She came out with two singles already and it got millions of hits in itunes." Jason informed me further on. "Now, what was her name again?" He muttered to himself. "Ah! I think its Michelle Devonne."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because she's going on a summer tour and I thought this would be a great opportunity for you to join her…"

"What?" I stopped before he says something else that would get him in serious trouble.

"Well, yeah, Shane, you need a revival. Dude, if you go on her summer tour, you two will be a great hit!"

"Is this why you dragged me down here to LA to join some new hot singer's tour?" I asked furiously.

"Shane, this would be a great start for you. Just imagine…"

"I don't want to imagine anything because this conversation will end now." I demanded.

He, then, shrugged his shoulders, but gave one of those _'you'll change your mind'_ look. Oh, but I think I know myself. I will never become that monster again no matter what. I've done enough trouble to even hang around with this 'Michelle' girl.

-

"…and this is my blue birdhouse, my yellow birdhouse is right there…" Jason pointed out one of the yellowish fainted birdhouse over at the end of the garden. "…and of course my rock-style birdhouse."

We ended up at a white with black stripes birdhouse. Over twenty birdhouses with different color variations were built within Jason's house. Half of which were placed in the garden area. _How many birds does he expect to come? _I only nodded and smiled as we past by different birdhouses despite my insane boredom.

"So that ends my tour of my wonderful collection of birdhouses. Now, let me introduce to you my birdfeeders." He smiled and pointed our way out of the garden.

I groaned at the thought of spending another half hour going through bird-related things, but faked my smile to please my best bud. I owe it to him anyways.

Late that afternoon, Jason and I rested by the poolside like we used to do minus one of us. Unfortunately, Jason wasn't quite satisfied by spending only one hour on his bird collections so he informed me more about the different kinds of birds there are. _Yay for me_.

"…then there's the parrot, golden oriole, kingfisher. Oh, and my favorite: The Flamingo. Although, they don't fit in any of my birdhouses."

"About that college thing…" I tried to change the subject.

"Oh that. Well, I was planning to attend some kind of bird-related classes. Umm…like Marine Biologist!"

"Jason, those are for living plants and animals in the sea. Not for things that fly in the air."

He was occupied in his thoughts for a minute, and then I decided to find another topic where it WON'T involve any birds.

"What's up with Nate?"

That was the last thing I wanted to ask, but it was the first thing that came into my mind. It's been bugging me ever since we arrived here at Los Angeles.

"Oh, um I don't know. I haven't seen him in a while. I think the last time I saw him was at a club, but we barely talked. Ever since, you know, the whole break up thing, he went in solo flight."

I could sense his difficulty upon informing this. It was all hard for us even after six years. There are just things you can't erase in your mind and trust me, these are one of those.

I nodded and smiled to cheer his expression up, but to no luck at all, he was devastated by the thought of it and it was my entire fault.

"He's a big star right now, though." Jason said. "I heard rumors that he's going out with someone, but I don't know who."

Two of the Connect three members, that's me and Jason, lived a normal life; out of the celebrity world. Well, not all of us unfortunately.

"I'm really sorry." I said softly.

"It's okay, man. I mean, the Connect three can't be a connect three without you, but it was a long time ago. Everyone moved on."

I sat still and quiet as I knew not everyone had moved on like he said. Everyone except me. The memories still haunted my thoughts and it will never disappear.

-

JPOV (Jason's POV)

"Riley?" I said in my low quiet voice on the phone. "It's Jason…yes, he's here…in my house…so are we set for tonight? Great...okay bye."

I hang up the phone and a smile ran over my lips. Shane will hate me for this, but it's for his own good anyways. Late on, he'll thank me. I know he will.

-

SPOV

It was later that night that Mrs. Carter, Jason's mom, came home.

"So Shane...what have you been up to?" Mrs. Carter asked.

"Oh, umm you know, I've been living with my grandmother for the past six years, but she passed away a couple days ago." I explained.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about your grandmother. Jason told me and it's really devastating." Her smile turned into sympathy.

I've known Mrs. Carter for years, but she still has her ways of making me feel relax. She was one of those _'almost my mother' _type.

"Thanks. She really changed my life, but it was her time and I have to accept it."

"Well, there's the Shane I know." She placed her hand on top of mine. "Glad to have you back. You can stay here as long as you want. You're like a son to me and you're part of our family."

One of the best reason I love Jason's family is their warm comfort they offer. It was the best thing anyone can ever ask for. I thanked her again then she left to finish some paper works. I sat there in the living room, relief that my stay here won't be as bad after all, then Jason pulled up to my feet with his widest smile I've ever seen him with.

"Go get ready. We're going out" He pulled me towards the guest room which is where I'll be staying for a while.

"Go where?"

"There are some friends I want you to meet."

He rummaged through my closet and pulled out a black leather jacket with white collar shirt.

"This will do. Now put it on and fast."

"You better not bring me to a blind date or else." I said as I put on my ensemble.

"Oh, trust me it will be better than that."

-

We arrived at a fancy restaurant called 'Londoste'. I realized it's been a while since I've been to one of these restaurants. It was hard to admit, but I did miss the feeling. At the time when I was 'The Shane Gray', I'd usually spent every night at parties or fancy restaurant along with costars. Living in a normal life is not as easy as it seems. Sure, I learned how to do things average people do, but it took me a while to get a hang of it.

It wasn't exactly living in life of fun, but at least I was away from all the media and I was away from actually hurting my love one. I couldn't let anything or anyone hurt her and I knew if I stayed, she will be in that kind of situation. I knew the only way to prevent that from happening is to disappear as if Shane Gray is an actual no one.

"Here's you seats and a waiter will be here in a few short moments to assist you." A French man informed us as he led to us to one of the best tables.

"Who are we waiting for?" I asked Jason as we settled in our seats.

"Oh, just friends. They'll be in a few minutes."

And we did. We waited for about five minutes and a tall, brown-haired man approached us in our table. This man seemed to be in his mid forties, but you can barely tell he's age. As a man, though, you can.

"Shane, this is Riley; a friend of mine." Jason introduced him.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gray." Riley shook my hand and smiled.

"Shane. You can call me Shane."

"Okay, Shane."

At the same time a girl, a few feet from us, walked towards us. I could barely see her features, but she was oddly familiar. As she slowly approached us, I can little by little see that she was about the same age as me. She has brown hair as well and her figure was about perfect.

Then, I stopped breathing.

"Shane, I'd like you to meet Michelle Devonne."

She smiled.

That charming smile.

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**Didn't expect that, huh?**** Please Review!**

-lay


	5. Chapter 5

**Come on guys! Please please Review. I've got over 1000 views, but not so much reviews. Just do me one tiny bit of favor here. Well, anyways this is the next chapter and it's a bit shorter. I've also added a heads up for the next chapter. **

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SPOV

She was different.

Very different.

But I know it's her. I knew that face very well. Her flawless brown hair and her angelic eyes. I can see it all. All of it. Even through her mini-skirt, her glossy lips, and her incredibly showy blouse. It was still her. It was Mitchie.

"Shane Gray, right?" She held her hand out, but I continued to stare at it.

_Mitchie._ The one girl I've helplessly fell in love with six years ago is standing here right in front of me. She drew back her hand when I ignored it. I couldn't speak. My mind ran so many words, but none of it came out. _Why is this happening?_ _Why is she like this?_ I wanted to ask so many questions.

"Well, why don't we sit down? Shall we." Jason said.

We all settled into our seats while I kept my eyes on Mitchie. My chest wanted to scream out and just hold her. I wanted to grab her and tell her I'm sorry countless times. Yet, I behaved myself like any ordinary man in that restaurant. I, then, realized the main reason Jason dragged me all the way here, but I couldn't be bothered by that fact. My head was way too busy to even function. Much less smack him in front of everyone. So I kept still. Very Still.

"So Shane here just came back from Washington, I heard." Riley informed Mitchie.

"Oh really?" She answered in a classy tone. "Is that right, Mr. Gray? I mean, Shane."

I kept my mouth closed and ignored her question.

"You know Riley, Shane and I used to know each other. Actually, we met at a camp when he was still part of the Connect Three." said Mitchie.

"Oh, you mean Camp Rock?" Jason asked.

"Yeah. Camp Rock."

"How come I didn't recognize you there?"

"Well, I was just some…girl. No one important." She drew her eyes on me and I could feel her intense look burning inside of me.

A tall blonde man in a uniform approached us at our table. I noticed that he was about my age and my height.

"Good Evening. My name is Steven and I'll be your waiter for tonight. What would you like to order?"

"How about we start with some wine? Michelle?" Riley asked.

"She doesn't drink wine." I finally spoke for the first time. All eyes stared at me including Mitchie.

"Actually, Shane I do." She smiled back. "Can I have some red wine, please?"

"Umm sure." Steven, our waiter, answered back.

Mitchie motioned Steven to come closer to her and spoke gently at his ear, "Make it strong."

I felt sudden rage of anger rush pass me. I held on to the table for control as I knew I would explode any minute if that waiter will stay for more than a second. Then, finally Steven nodded and left the table, promising to come back with the wine. Mitchie giggled and turned on her flirtatious smile. A smile I have never seen on her face. A smile that made the inside of me much worse and I found myself facing my monster.

Jason, noticing my hand gripping the table tightly, whispered in my ear. "Dude, you alright?"

I only nodded, hoping Mitchie and Riley will not notice my mood. They didn't. At least for a while. I loosened my grip on the table and relaxed my muscles, but the wave of emotions has not left my system yet.

"So we heard Michelle is going on a summer tour." Jason said in delight.

The only thing stopping me from killing him in that spot was the fact that I was still breathless from all the sudden rage of emotions inside of me. Mitchie, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying this and she was rather prepared for this than I was. She constantly avoids my eye contact, either looking off to the ceiling where a fancy chandelier hang above us or examining the room for a blonde waiter to pass by.

"Yes, she is. She's starting the 'Living up the Dream' tour in a few weeks." said Riley. ".And we were hoping that Mr. Shane, here, will accompany her. How about it Shane?" Riley turned his attention to me.

"Shane would love to…"

"No" I cut of Jason's answer.

It was pretty straight forward and I was not prepared by what I saw in Mitchie's eyes as she cast her eyes upon me. It was some sort of a painful look as if I betrayed her. I couldn't stop the bitterness inside me. I just wanted to stop this awkward moment and run for it. _Run _to the meadows.

"Oh, but we hope you can reconsider. You know, after six years of your disappearance in the industry, a circulation of rumors passed by particularly explaining the reasons why you just disappeared. This would be a great chance to redeem your name." said Riley.

My heart wanted to scream out to him and tell him that those are old news to me. Back in Washington, didn't he think that people would have asked what I was doing there? Why I wasn't singing off with Connect Three? Well, Yes! But you know what; I ignored them because I knew there were more important things those celebrity enjoyments. And it was something that blinded me through all of it.

Before I even got a chance to answer, blonde-hair-waiter came back with a bottle of red wine and four sets of glass.

"Here's your wine." said Steven as he gently poured the wine in each of our glasses. "Call me when you're ready to…"

"No need to" Mitchie cut him off. She took the glass of wine and chugged it down her throat. She walked across the table, closing the space between us and kept her eyes on me. "It would have been a greater advantage for you, Mr. Gray. But I'm sorry to hear you refuse to accept our offer. Truth be told, keeping your distance from the public is just your thing, huh? Or is there something else in your mind?"

Every word that came out of her stings me like an electric shock, but I knew I deserved all of it. All she wanted was to stay with me, but I broke that promise a long time ago.

"Michelle…" said Riley.

"Here's to Mr. Shane Gray, the magnificent." She grabbed my wine and raised it up above me. "It was a pleasure seeing you. You never know, I might bump into you again. Or maybe not because that's what you're good at; running away from your…worst…nightmares." With her last words, she finished off her wine then slammed it on the table in front of me.

She gave a quick good bye to Riley and Jason, and then brushed her fingers on Steven's cheeks who I could have predicted was very flattered at the moment. Finally, she walked out of the restaurant with everyone's eyes following her. Everyone except me who felt very numb after everything.

_What have I done to her?_

-

MPOV

_Get a grip, Mitchie. You prepared yourself for this. Don't lose now._

I ran it over and over in my head like a broken record. It was all finally starting to sink in. From Shane's expression when he saw me to my bitter exit from the restaurant.

_Oh God,_ I felt as if my heart had jumped out of me when I saw his thin, stressed figure. It was a relief that I controlled all my emotions and set it back before I could have ran to him and kissed him all over.

But, of course, doing that will destroy my plan from the beginning.

_Get on wit the plan, Mitchie. No going back now. _

'But he rejected me.' I answered the voice that's been bugging me ever since I left the restaurant. I've been driving for a full hour now, roaming around the city of Los Angeles. I didn't feel like coming back to my condo, yet. My brain tells me to just drive around while I only had one bar left of gas in my tank.

I couldn't be bothered to care about it all. All that mattered was the look I saw on Shane's face when I tried to flirtatiously smile at the waiter. On what I expected to be fun turns out to be tormenting on my part. But I manage, well, at least for a while.

The bitterness that clogged up in my throat suddenly exploded as soon as exited the restaurant. I felt hot tears streaming down my cheeks, uncontrollably. Up until now, tears ran down as if I've saved up a whole liter of water inside of me only for crying. Seeing him tonight was something I had prepared for since yesterday; the time Riley told me we'd be meeting Shane Gray. It was not until an hour ago that I actually had the full experiences of my day dreams or worse, nightmares.

Everything turned out to be so different. Seeing him just a few feet away from me, glancing awkwardly at me with his golden face striking beautifully at me, turns out to be a different experience. An experience mixed with different emotions. Should I feel bitter for leaving me or jumping up and down now that I saw him?

Above all, I'm driving here in LA in my new black BMW (Riley's birthday gift. He said it would improve my image in the public), hopelessly crying my eyes out. Yet, that bitter memory of him rejecting Riley's offer to be with me stung me like never before. It brought back the time before; the time when he left me six years ago…and my days to follow.

The worst part was that I can still feel it. Even through everything, I can still feel the one thing that held me up for the last several years.

It was _love. _

Just when I thought my night can't get any better, my car made a beeping noise indicating that I was out of gas. _Oh great!_

_-_

_NEXT CHAPTER:_

_The heavy rain poured down violently through the thick dark night. Then a car pulled over behind me and a tall dark figure approached me. The head lights from his car shone brightly over him, making it much harder to draw out his face. _

"_Do you need some help, Miss?" The man asked. _

_The man I knew so well._

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**Do I have to ask?**

-LAY


	6. Chapter 6

**Keep the reviews coming guys! And enjoy! oh, and I realized in some days I'm not going to post a chapter. It's very tiring to post one chapter a day since I do have summer school as well. (I know, bummer for me)**

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MPOV

Well, I was definitely not crying one liter of tears anymore. Nope. I was frantic! It's 11 pm at night and I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere. Ok, Los Angeles. But still!

I desperately searched for my cell phone, only to find out that my battery went dead. Aha! Coincidence? I think not! I think my karma finally caught up with me from the last several years. What's worst is that my make up starting to smudge through my previous tears. _Note to self_: _Buy waterproof makeup. _

I came out of the car, hoping to spot a nearby gasoline station. Nope! No gas station in sight or any stores at all. Maybe not another five miles or so. And stupidly, I paid no attention whatsoever to where I was driving. Well, I couldn't blame myself for that after everything that had happened. The last person I wanted to see right now was him. For once I actually saw a bright side to this situation. Even though that bright side only covers .9 percent of all of my bad lucks.

Then, as if by command, drips of water started to pour down. One more check to the bad karma list. I ran inside my car, running ideas in my head of several ways to kill myself now. Yup, that would just be great. Everyone will find out that Michelle Devonne killed herself because her gas was empty. One more reason to lower the gas prices down.

I sat there for at least ten minutes, contemplating whether to hitch a car ride in some stranger's car at the middle of the night or sit here and wait for heaven to take me away. For some reason, I choose the second one. You can't blame me. I mean, I don't usually attend church but I bet heaven is much of a better place than this.

Well, okay, I chose the first one. Maybe hitching a ride will be a better choice. Anyways, I don't think Riley will be so happy to see me dead yet.

So I waited….

….and waited for any sign of an oncoming car. You'd think that there will be plenty of cars at 11 pm in Los Angeles, but No! I was stuck in one of the rural areas and no car travels around here at 11 pm.

It's been half an hour now and at least five cars passed by. None of them, sadly, were at any rate a gentleman…or a gentlewoman. It's almost midnight and I'm still stuck here with tremendous rain pouring down. And this time I didn't care if dirty puddles smeared my face.

Then I walked. I walked slowly away from my car, hoping that a single car will stop to help. To no luck at all, they were the same bustards and totally ignored me. I'll make sure that next time they come to any of my autograph signings; they won't get a single thing from me. If I actually saw their faces which…I didn't. By this time, my car was barely out of sight and I was soaked from head to toe.

The heavy rain poured down violently through the thick dark night. Then a car pulled over behind me and a tall dark figure approached me. The head lights from his car shone brightly over him, making it much harder to draw out his face.

"Do you need some help, Miss?" The man asked.

The man I knew so well.

-

SPOV

"Do you need some help, Miss?" I asked the lady who I saw was randomly standing at the side of the road.

Actually, I didn't plan on seeing anybody at this area near Los Angeles. That's the reason I came here in the first place. I didn't want to see or talk to anyone. Especially Jason who apologized a million times tonight after our unfortunate dinner with his so-called _friends_. I didn't expect him as well to be so absent minded and did not recognize Mitchie in the first place. Not that it mattered.

I was happy to see her. No, I was confused. I'm happy in the inside, but also disappointed. I knew from some time ago that our reunion won't be an 'OMG you're here!' thing. No, of course not. Our meeting tonight was the closest thing that comes to my mind. Not in that kind of situation anyways and I truly admit that I didn't expect to see her again. But I did and it only brought back bitter memories that I clearly have seen on her face when I rejected their offer.

The lady stirred in my direction, getting a clear view of me. Then I saw the face of the last person I expected to see here.

"Mitchie...?" I stared wide-eyed at her soaked figure.

I realized I wasn't the only one in disbelief. We both had not expected to see each other again after her award winning speech she decided to give me at the restaurant in front of that blonde haired waiter who I reminded myself not to tip a single penny. He got enough tips for the night including the Mitchie's seduction.

She didn't answer back. She just stared at me and stormed her way to the other direction leaving me behind with a stunned face. Then, as I asked for it, worries rushed pass me and I quickly got into the driver's seat (Jason let me borrowed his extra car. A Porsche. I call that an extra car, huh?) and drove right behind Mitchie.

"Hey!" I yelled after her as I rolled down the window.

She didn't budge at all. She continued her way down the road with soaked hair and clothes. I don't what came to me, but I got more determined to get her in the car and off the rainy night. I drove more closely to her, hoping she would notice my determination.

"Mitchie! What are you doing out here?"

She kept her straight face and walked a bit faster now, away from me.

"You're going to get sick! Are you crazy?!" This time she stopped. She turned herself towards me and I realized I just hit the jackpot. She was furious now.

"Crazy? You call me 'Crazy'?!"

"Well, what do you call a girl randomly walking in the middle of the night with pouring rain?"

She ignored my remark and continued her way down the road. This was truly a new _Mitchie_. A side of her I never have seen before. During the camp session, she was not much of a stubborn girl. She did what she was told to and didn't complain. At all.

"Look, I know you hate me. You despise me and I understand." I tried again. "But at least let me give you a ride. Not for me, but for you."

She froze and seems to be thinking over it. What other choice does she have? Cars barely pass by here and I'm the best one she can find. Not unless she wants to walk at least five miles in the rain which I think the new _Michelle_ will not ever think of or maybe she will because by this time her car was coming into view.

"Please. Just get in." I begged again.

It worked! She walked towards my car and opened the front door seat. I'll have to Jason later about his extremely wet car.

"Just drive me to the gas station and I'll find a phone there." said Mitchie.

"I don't think that's such a good idea because this area is really hard to find especially at night and…"

"Look just drive me there and I'll take care of myself on my own. I don't need you to boss me around."

I took a moment to think this over and I was still not convinced about this idea. Sadly, neither was she about mine. But we all know that my idea was much more practical than hers, right?

"I can't just leave you here, Mitchie" I said in a more convincing voice.

"FYI Mr. Shane Gray, its Michelle. Not Mitchie."

"Fine. Michelle, just listen to me. I used to own a cabin in the mountains and it's just a few minutes away from here. Spend the night there and I'll drive you home myself. Deal?"

There was a long pause and she seemed to be thinking this over in her head which means my idea was working. What could be better than spending the night with Shane Gray? I know my name has not been lived up to for the past six years, but I also know that there are dying girls out there to spend at least a minute in my arms.

"Okay, but tomorrow I'm calling Caitlyn to pick me up. She's good with the road so she'll find me here, but right now I bet she's sleeping already. I don't want to bother her."

I actually miss the sound of Caitlyn's name. I mean, we weren't that close, but I remember hanging out with her at camp because of Mitchie. Then the memories of Camp Rock flooded through my head and left me feeling queasy yet again. But I managed to answer at the least of it.

"Sure. Whatever you say."

And you know what, I actually managed to smile.

-

MPOV

I know what you're thinking. I'm such a big loser for actually falling that easily. But can you blame me? I'm cold, tired, and above all, I'm hungry. I realized I have not eaten a single thing since lunch. If only I acted I planned out my dramatic exit after our meal was done. But no…I just had to do it and now, I'm starving. _Great old me!_

The whole ride to the cabin was painfully silent. What more can you expect from us? The last happy thing that happened between us was six years ago. Of course, we would still be speechless through all of it. And Shane was right. It was only a few more minutes until we reach his small little cabin.

To tell you the truth, our bonding time wasn't that much. I mean, yes, we were once together, but after that it was over. It was painfully over. Because of that, I didn't know a lot of things Shane used to like back before he was even 'The Shane Gray'. And a cabin made it to the top list of my 'unexpected things about Shane Gray'.

"So why do you own a cabin?" I hesitated to ask, but I did anyways. Blame my curiosity.

We were walking away from the parking and into the mass of trees. Neither of us spoke a word until now.

"Oh…umm…I used to love the outdoors before I became a singer. So I constantly go here just to relax." He answered firmly.

_Okay. That's it. That's the last time I'm ever going to talk._ I told myself.

I shouldn't have said that so early because by the time we reached the cabin, I realized something was very wrong. Very wrong, indeed.

"There's only one bed."

-

_NEXT CHAPTER:_

"_You know, I've been thinking." Said Shane as he drew closer to me. "Maybe it won't be a bad idea after all. The tour, I mean."_

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**Wow, exciting huh?**

-lay


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **I'm sorry this chapter took a long time, but at least it's really long. Thanks to my beta, JBlove, for all the editing! Please remember to review!

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"There's only one bed."

"You'll take the bed. I'm sleeping on the floor," Shane said, placing his bag on the hardwood floor.

The cabin was fairly small, maybe just a little smaller than my own bedroom at the apartment Riley offered me. I started to wonder if this was actually Shane's cabin. For a rock star, like he used to be, a cabin in the middle of nowhere was definitely not one of his things.

"What, are you 'sexist'?" I asked, annoyed.

"Excuse me?" he asked, appalled by what I had just said.

"You heard me. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean you have to be all nice to me and offer me the bed." And it's true. I really don't get why girls had to be treated like princesses just because they're _girls. _

Shane, taken aback, raised one of his eyebrows, clearly thinking how to respond.

After a long pause, he finally spoke. "Fine. I'll take the bed, and you'll sleep on the _cold_, _hard_, _floor_."

_Woah, wait a minute!_ I didn't expect him to be _that_ fast. I at least wanted him to say, 'No, take it. I insist,' or, 'It's pretty cold, especially when it's raining, so take the bed.'Before I could respond, he left me standing by the door and walked toward a wooden cabinet. _What an idiot!He offered you the freakin' bed already and you didn't take it!_ I scolded myself.

Shane returned, carrying a white towel, an extra large shirt, and a pair of basketball shorts. "Here," he said, handing me the clothes. "Dry yourself with this towel and change into my extra clothes before you get sick; you're soaked all over."

This time, I didn't try to act cool and refuse his help. I felt like a wet rag waiting to be thrown away in the filthy trash can. I could barely feel my toes due to the numbness, and my throat was starting to burn. That's a little weird for me. When I was little, I was awarded for being the healthiest child; I'd never gotten sick. Maybe some sniffles here and there, but nothing serious. I scanned the cabin, hoping to find a bathroom or a walk-in closet.

"Umm…where's the bathroom?" I asked.

Shane, realizing the reason why I hadn't moved, pointed out the window. "There's a wooden stall a couple yards away if you want to change there." He held up his palms in an 'I swear' way. "Otherwise, I'll just close my eyes and promise not to peek."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. You have no other choices; I'm sorry," Shane said, looking all sympathetic and stuff, but it didn't work on me. I'd made that mistake once and I'd never do it again.

"I'll stay in these clothes if I have to," I said bravely.

"You'll get sick, Mitch…Michelle." He sighed. "I just don't want you to catch pneumonia or something. Trust me; I'm not going to peek. You need to change."

"And why do you care?" My voice was harsh, probably due to the burning sensation and pain in my throat. "I'll get sick if I want to. I'll die if I want to and there's nothing you can do about that, Mr. Shane Gray."

I have to say, even those words stung me, and I could tell they hurt him too. His muscles tensed up, but relaxed after he took a huge breath. His eyes darkened as seriousness washed away all trace of any happy emotion from his face. _Maybe he actually cares, _I thought, _or maybe he's just playing around to catch me in his vicious trap. _

After a moment of silence, he spoke softly. "I do care. And if it makes you feel better, I'd do this for anyone stranded in the middle of nowhere. Not just for you, but for anyone," he said in a convincing tone.

I sighed in defeat. Well, there was no point in arguing. One way or the other I was beat. My hands trembled from the sudden chill coming from a slightly opened window. The storm was building up now. Wind mixed in with cold rain caused the trees to sway back and forth.

The next thing I knew, my hands were rubbing my arms to rid myself of the tremendous goose bumps, hoping it would help a least a bit. Shane, seeing my action, walked to the window and shut it tight. I strolled over to the wooden cabinet, lowering myself as much as possible away from Shane.

Satisfyingly, Shane didn't bother once to look around the side of the cabinet. As if reading my mind, he assured me that his eyes were closed and he was facing the other direction. But I still kept an eye on him while struggling to change into his extra large shirt. As I poked my head through the hole in the shirt, I caught a familiar scent. _His_ scent. Without even thinking about it, my nose dug into his shirt. _I had to stop myself. _I instantly pulled away, hoping that Shane still kept his promise. Thankfully, he did.

Then I heard him.

He was humming _that _song. The song that haunted me for years until I finally had the courage to throw it away. And now it was all coming back. I unconsciously slid on the basketball shorts, relieved that my tense muscles were relaxing and becoming more comfortable in the warm and dry clothes.

"I'm done; you can look now." He stopped humming and swung himself in my direction.

"Good; you're dry." A smiled formed on his lips. "I'll turn on my mini fireplace here to stay warm. Looks like tonight's going to be rough." He peered out the window. "Don't worry; we're safe here. I don't think it's that strong to cause any harm to our cabin." He said, seeing the worried look on my face, which I quickly got rid of just in case he had any ideas that I was afraid of everything.

He crouched down by a mini fireplace and a warm sensation filled up the entire room. _Well, there's at least one thing he did right tonight._ He sat down on the hardwood floor and held up his hands in front of the fire, warming his almost pale looking hands.

"It's freezing. You sure you want to sleep on the floor tonight?"

"I'm fine. I told you I can manage it," I said. "I'm used to this stuff. See? I'm not even cold anymore."

"Okay," said Shane, "but if you change your mind, there's always space on the bed for you. I can always make room to fit both of us; that way we can give off body heat." He said it casually.

"Yeah, sure," I said, hoping he would catch the sarcasm in my tone.

And he did. But he shrugged it off and returned his attention to the fireplace. Meanwhile, I searched for extra blankets that I could find around the cabin. He didn't seem to mind, so I rummaged through his closet. Luckily, I found _one. _One teensy weensy blanket, which happened to be very thin._I traded this for a warm bed?_

I thought I heard Shane chuckle slightly, seeing my expression about the thin blanket, but as soon as I spotted it, he quickly returned back to his own world. _It's better than nothing. I can always sleep in the car….Nah. A Porsche doesn't have enough room for me to sleep in comfortably, and besides, my car is stuck by the highway._

"I'm going to bed." Shane stood up and headed for the bed, tucking himself under the blankets. I could barely hold back and avoid running to his side. _But it looks so good. So warm. _Gladly, I fell back to reality.

_Get a grip Mitchie!_

Delicately, I placed the blanket down on the hardwood floor next to Shane's bed. The fireplace was only a few feet away from me and I felt the heat radiating through my body. _At least it's warm. _I snuggled down onto the blanket only to find it hard to settle down on my back. Shane moved quietly on his own bed then drifted off to sleep.

"Goodnight," he mumbled just before silence loomed in the cabin.

Moments later, after turning my body from side to side a hundred times, sleep hadn't found me yet. Meanwhile, Shane snored quietly in his own sleep. I also found out that the warmth given off by the fireplace wasn't enough to keep me very warm.

_It's only for tonight. Tomorrow I'll be back to my warm, quiet room. Yeah, just like that._

Shane's POV

The sun shone vividly through the window that morning, shedding light on the destruction the storm had created. I opened my eyes to find the room brightly lit. It was much warmer than before, and my body had longed for that kind of warmth.

It was not until then that I realized that the warmth wasn't coming from the sun, but from someone else. That someone was snuggling next to me. Her arms were wrapped around me and her head rested comfortably on my right arm.

_My God, was she beautiful._

I should have wondered how the hell she got herself next to me, but at that moment nothing seemed to be more important than finding her snuggled close to me. Even in her sleep, her smile radiated warmth and comfort, something that no other girl could ever give off.

Slowly, avoiding waking her up, I traced my finger ever so gently over her angelic face. Every touch sent electricity running down my spine. I'd missed that feeling so much. _And she had no idea._

"Don't…" she mumbled. My muscles tensed and I quickly drew back my finger, fearing that I'd woken her up. But gladly, she was still asleep. "Shane…don't…." Her words were slurred and so quiet that only I could have heard her.

I leaned down closer to her to get a better understanding of it. "Don't…leave…" she whispered softly.

By then I knew what she was saying and a wave of guilt washed over me. _I caused her so much pain. _"I'm right here, Mitchie," I whispered back. "And I'm never ever leaving you again." Before I knew it, tears started to well up in my eyes, but I held them back. But a single tear dropped onto her cheek and I realized it came from my own eyes.

She stirred again, but this time her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes scanned the room and then finally landed on me. I looked away, hoping that she wouldn't see the pain in my own eyes. It didn't take her long to realize her position so close to me. She gasped and then jumped off bed and stood a few feet away, obviously shocked.

"How the hell…" she stammered, "…did you…?"

"I think you were too cold sleeping on the floor so you found your way up next to me."

Confusion showed in her eyes, trying to remember last night, but the answer didn't find her. "I hope you don't think I did this because I _wanted _to be next to you. Sleepwalking is very common in my family, just to let you know."

"Okay then," I said. "Gotcha."

She didn't seem to be convinced, but she shrugged it off. "I'll call for someone to pick me up." She searched for my phone and found it on the kitchen table.

"I can take you home," I offered.

"No thanks. I think you've done enough for me." Her words were harsh, but I knew I deserved every bit of it.

"Don't you want to eat first?" I asked. "Aren't you hungry? I can make you something."

Her stomach grumbled at the sound of food, but she covered her stomach with her arms, embarrassed. "Since when did you start cooking? Don't you have a cook or something to do that for you?"

"Actually, back in Marysville, I'm the one who cooks for my grandmother and me."

"Well, I'm not hungry. I just want to get out of this deserted place."

"Okay. Suit yourself." I staggered out of bed and headed for the stove.

"On second thought, eggs sound very good to me right now."

"Great. I'll whip up a batch for us." I realized she hadn't had a bite since last night after the wine incident. "Just for you and me." I smiled at her but she ignored it and went out the door for her phone call. The silence brought back the words she was mumbling before. _I really made a mistake, I thought._

Mitchie's POV

_Holy Crap!_ I slept next to Shane! How did I even get on the bed? There are absolutely no sleepwalking genes in my family. Although I loved the way I slept on his chest. _No! Bad Mitchie! Don't think about that! _Oh, but I can't help it; it was so warm and comfortable. _No Mitchie! _His arms were so soft and comfortable I could almost fall back asleep thinking about it. _Mitchie, what are you doing?!_

His scent, oh, that familiar scent, was so strong it made my nose ache for more. Whenever I was next to him, it's like the past didn't matter at all. Maybe the present or the future. Yet I still didn't see us together in the future, smiling, laughing _together._ It just didn't work for us like it had six years ago.

"Hello? Caitlyn?"

"Mitchie?" Caitlyn answered sleepily. "Is that you?"

I realized it was only seven thirty in the morning but because of the way the sun looked, it almost seemed like noon. "Yeah; it's me. Listen, can you possibly pick me up?"

"Where are you?"

"Umm…I slept in a cabin with…Shane…" Silence filled the other end of the line as Caitlyn comprehended what I had just said. "Caitlyn? You there? I said 'I'm with Shane.'"

"Umm…yeah…I heard that….Are you sure?" Her voice was filled with uncertainty.

"I think I know who I'm with, Caitlyn."

"Well, you never know, it might just look like Shane. Do you mean Shane like six years ago, like Camp Rock Shane?"

"Yeah, like arrogant ex-rock star Shane Gray. Who do you think I'm talking about?"

Caitlyn hesitated. "Okay then, never mind about that. What are you doing in a cabin with Shane….Oh my God…No, you did not!" Her voice was shaky and I quickly caught what she was thinking.

"Caitlyn, no! We did not do what you think we did." _I better not tell her I slept next to him. _"I ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere and coincidently, I ran into Shane. I swear I didn't have a choice, and it was really stormy, so…"

"Does Riley know about this?"

_Oh, Riley. _He was going to have a fit when I didn't show up for my photo shoot. Oh well. "No. That's why I called you so you can pick me up from this disastrous place."

"Wait, fill me in first. Why did Shane mysteriously show up like that?"

I groaned at the thought of spending another minute talking about that horrible past. "I…I don't know. We had dinner with him last night and he just happened to be the guy who Riley was talking about, that's all. I went out for a drive and then he came along."

Caitlyn softened her tone. "Are…are you okay? You know, 'cause six years ago…you…well, you know what happened before…"

"I'm fine, Caitlyn," I said, knowing where she was going with this. "There's nothing to worry about. Past is past."

"Sure. Past is past," she said in a reassuring tone.

"So can you pick me up? I think I'm up near Mount View Point."

"Mount View Point? Wow, that's kind of far. No wonder you ran out of gas," she said. "I'm so sorry, but I can't pick you up. I have an interview for a job in less than an hour and I'm actually really glad you called or I would've been late. I'm really sorry."

"No, that's okay. I understand." I tried to sound more cheerful, but the truth was, I was a little devastated. That meant I had to ride home with Shane.

"Maybe you can ask Nathan."

"Thanks. I'll try." _Yeah, Nathan. Why did I not think of that? He would do anything for me. _

"Yeah, okay, bye. And good luck with Shane! I don't want you going all psycho again." Caitlyn hung up.

_Psycho. _Hah! If only anyone knew the definition of that word. "Don't worry; I won't," I whispered to myself.

Shane's POV

After preparing a breakfast for two, Mitchie settled down across from me at the kitchen table.

"So did you talk to Caitlyn?" I finally asked after a whole ten minutes of silence.

"Oh, um, she can't pick me up so I asked another friend," said Mitchie after chewing on a piece of bread. "He's going to pick me up where my car is so can you please drive me there?"

"Yeah, sure, no problem. But who's this friend of yours?" _A HE? Meaning a man? _The question rang in my head.

"You'll find out soon."

I didn't bother to ask for anymore information about 'this friend'. It was none of my business and I shouldn't intrude it, but my curiosity was deepening with each second I thought about it._ Who is this man, anyway?_

When breakfast was over, I offered Mitchie the chance to stay a little longer to at least hike up the mountains. And boy, that was such a stupid question. Mitchie immediately refused to hike with me and insisted that I drive her off to see her friend.

I locked the door to the cabin as we left for the car. Mitchie was already a couple feet ahead of me and hesitated as she saw me catching up to her. We walked off in silence and took in the sight off fallen trees and logs.

"You know, I've been thinking," I said as I drew closer to her. "Maybe it won't be a bad idea after all. The tour, I mean."

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face me. At first she was silent, and then her face showed an odd expression. It looked like either 'you're crazy' or 'you have a large zit on your forehead'. Either way, it was not the expression I had hoped for.

I had worked so hard to build up this courage and decide whether to join her or not. Instead, what I got as a response was something that really astounded me.

She didn't say a word, but her expression spoke a million words for her.

As we neared the car, my head was a mess of thoughts. Should I be happy that she didn't care? Or should I be concerned that her response was different than I assumed it would be? I thought she wanted me to join her. I swore six years ago not to come back to the celebrity life I once had, but something inside of me wanted this tour so bad. It was that special something, I realized as I watched her sleep into my arms. Something that told me I would never leave her ever again.

When I got in the driver's seat, an unknown voice intruded the intense awkwardness. "I'm sorry." It was mine, and it was so soft that only the two of us could have heard it.

She didn't respond, yet again. She kept her eyes glued to the world outside the car window.

"I should have never…I mean, it was the wrong of me," I said. "I broke my promise."

I waited for her to say something, but got nothing. She didn't even look in my direction. _Does it hurt so much that she chooses not to respond? _Whatever reason it was, it was my fault. It will always be my fault.

The rest of the ride down the mountain was silent. I peered a couple of times at her, but she was still looking out the window.

As the car came into view, I spotted a silver convertible Mercedes Benz behind it. Then I remembered one friend of mine who had always wanted a car like that, but he was long-gone.

I stopped on the other side of the street and Mitchie quickly got out of the car, avoiding eye contact with me. Then a curly brown-headed guy stepped out of the Mercedes Benz, enveloping Mitchie in his arms.

And boy, was I right about that car, because the guy that held my girl in his arms was none other than my long-gone friend, Nate. Yeah, _that_ Nate. From Connect Three, when we were still a band. Nate, who looked so happy to see _my _Mitchie.

* * *

_Next Chapter:_

_It's the right thing to do, I told myself countless time. I dialed Riley's number, still debating whether or not she would want me back. Or was I too late? Had my girl found happiness in someone else's arms?_


End file.
